So your research is done, what’s next?
A designer-used, stakeholder-approved template for all your write-up needs
The hard work is done. You’ve finished your highly-anticipated user research. You are now left with pages of notes and hours of recorded sessions with customers. What now?
You may not think you are a writer, but the truth is, if you are a UX professional, you are.
What comes next is a write-up of what you learned during your research. And yes, it may seem daunting. But it’s a critical step in the research process.
Not only are you summarizing what you learned, but you are sharing key findings, analyzing customer feedback, and proposing your design decisions through analytical rationale.
A few tips as you begin your write-up:
- Tell the complete story. You are not only explaining the results, you are explaining what you are trying to solve.
- Break your write-up into sections. This makes it easier for the reader to digest.
- Once you create a template, continue to use that template for future research. Having structure in your research write-ups will help save time for you and your readers.
If you are building out your first write-up template, or just looking for inspiration to add to what you have, here are some sections that are a must for any UX designer.
Pain points
UX designers solve user pain points through design — which is why they are important to include in your write up. Share what you are trying to solve. This is the core of your research.
Research goals
Always write down your research goals before starting a session with users. It’s important to write down exactly what you are trying to learn.
Key findings & insights
List out significant findings from your sessions. For example, if a majority of customers understood the workflow but did not find it valuable, write that down. This can help shape decisions down the road. Make sure to also include quotes from the customers. This will allow stakeholders to empathize with users and really understand how they feel.
Analysis
A crucial step. Look at all the information above and summarize what happened in the session. Bullet points help break it down.
Design decisions
What are the next steps? This is what every stakeholder is going to ask. Make sure to address this. What is going to change about the design? Does it make sense to the user? Do we need to diverge and rethink a workflow? Can we pass this off to dev? Documenting these decision will help get everyone on the same page and understand the direction you will take.
